Did you hear that bell? Well, you know what that means!!! It’s time for another Wedding Redux, where we ask couples whose weddings we photographed to talk candidly (and helpfully) about things they loved and things they would change. It’s in the form of a Q&A, complete with friendly advice and feedback. Today’s couple – Elizabeth & Kyle Bishop – are faves of ours. We shot their engagement and bridal photos and then their amazing March wedding. Pay attention brides and grooms – their input is thoughtful and detailed!
YOU’RE MARRIED. You’ve done it! Now… IF you could plan and execute your wedding day all over again, what would you do more of?
Kyle: “Dancing. I wish we had been able to invite more people that would have danced with us. I think it would have made the reception more festive.”
Elizabeth: “Eating! Even though we tried to make sure ahead of time that we would get something to eat, we still only managed a few bites of the appetizers. We chose such yummy food for our guests and then didn’t get to enjoy any of it.” [PIXELS NOTE: Look for Kyle’s funny addition at the end of this blog about food. And sadly, we see this all the time. Great intentions to eat the food and then it never happens.]
What would you do less of?
Kyle: “Prep work. Hiring a wedding planner would have helped with that.”
Elizabeth: “A wedding planner definitely would have been nice to have, especially with all the other things we had going on while we were planning our wedding.”
This came up a couple of other times during the Q&A with these two. The wedding planner vs. friends and family debate. The Bishops told us how they wish they’d hired a planner to take the stress off of themselves and their many family and friends who stepped in and stepped up to help from the planning all the way through the day. It’s a tough call, when you have a budget, and Ryan and I certainly don’t get a kick-back if a couple decides to hire a planner. We just want happy couples. We’ve seen weddings planned with family and friends that were flawless and relatively stress-free but you never know. The key word is stress. So figure out ways to eliminate as much of it as possible.
What do you wish you’d done, but were afraid to do?
Kyle: “Learn a couples dance to break into for our first dance. That would have been pretty neat.”
Elizabeth: “A choreographed couples dance would have been a lot of fun, but neither of us is very confident in our dancing skills. Our friends and family probably would have loved it though!”
Positive and negative feedback (or advice) on any or all of the following:
Attire?
Elizabeth: “LET YOUR DRESS SHOPPING BE FUN! Going into shopping, I think a lot of brides stress about finding “the one” but we shouldn’t. The right dress at the right price IS out there and you will find it. It may not be at the first or second shop and that’s okay. It also might be at the first shop and that’s okay too. My gown was the third one I tried on and I insisted on trying several others because I thought “‘It can’t be this easy.'”
Food?
Kyle: “We liked the choice of food but the delivery was lackluster. Many people had to wait longer that we would have liked to eat.
Elizabeth: “Food was… a bit of an issue for us. Everything was delicious, but there seemed to be a lot of confusion between what we expected, what we were told we would have, and what we ended up with. Most of our guests didn’t realize there was any issue, but it was a source of stress for us leading up to the event and on the day of. Be sure that you know exactly what you’re getting, how it will be served, and what the kitchen’s plan for timing is.”
Flowers?
Elizabeth: “We were lucky enough to have my sister and maid-of-honor offer to make all of our flowers from various craft paper and book pages. It was a lot of work for her, but it was the prefect addition to our day and not having to worry about picking up flowers on the actual day was a big load off our minds. We did have a live flower bouquet to toss though. I was not about to throw one of my sister’s creations.”
Location?
Kyle: “We had our dream wedding. Boone was the best place for that.”
Elizabeth: “Where do you want to get married? Go there! We knew that no matter where we had our wedding, most of our family was going to have to travel several hours, so we chose somewhere WE wanted to get married. If you do have a wedding away from home, I would suggest providing your guests with a list of favorite restaurants and local activities. Many of our guests arrived the day before and spent time shopping or sight-seeing before our ceremony started.”
Elements of the ceremony?
Kyle: “The chapel was the right place. Again, somewhere special that we always wanted to get married.”
Elizabeth: “Your officiant can really make a big difference. We were lucky enough to have a family member that is also an amazing minister. Find someone that makes the two of you feel comfortable and who can speak to you as a couple.”
Number in the wedding party?
Elizabeth: “I always imagined a small wedding party, maybe three. At most four. I am, however, lucky for have a husband with a lot of friends and a desire to include them all. I admit, it stressed me out a few times along the way, trying to coordinate that many people, but in the end everything worked out well. Kyle’s guys were wonderful about helping with setup and all of my girls were perfect. My biggest piece of advice would be not to worry about tradition too much when it comes to your bridal party. I had a bridesman, who stood on my side and our grandmothers were our flower girls. Everyone loved them!”
Time of year? Time of day?
Kyle: “It was a perfect time of the year. We got snow and sun. What more could we ask for?”
Elizabeth: “I think these things are really personal to each couple. We knew we wanted a big party of a reception and that we wanted it at night, so that dictated our ceremony time. We also knew that we didn’t want our anniversary too close to either of our birthdays or any particularly important holidays. I would advise finding out when the peak wedding season is in your desired area, and then choosing a date a couple of weeks before or after that. Doing that helped us really stretch our budget.”
DJ vs. a band?
Kyle: “Our DJ was the best decision. We were able to pick out the songs that we wanted and direct the flow of the evening to our liking.
Elizabeth: “We wanted so many different kinds of music that a DJ was really the only way for us to go. Ours had a great song selection and managed everything really well. The only thing I would mention here is to make sure ahead of time that your DJ is comfortable announcing things during the reception. We assumed that was part of being a DJ and we were wrong.”
Vows?
Kyle: “Write your own and it will allow you to show how much you care about each other.”
Elizabeth: “We wrote our own and I loved it. I admit, I was nervous to read my own words in front of everyone, but it was ultimately more important to me that Kyle know exactly how I felt. My biggest advice here would be to speak up! I was so nervous and emotional that I wasn’t able to project very well and as a result, not all of our guests heard what I was saying.”
Name 3 things you would do differently, if, by some strange wrinkle in the universe, you could do it all again (to the same person of course):
1. Lock down the schedule of events for the reception so that everything is on time.
2. Hire a wedding planner to lower overall stress.
3. Have a pizza from Capone’s pizza for my grooms cake.
Name 3 things you would not change / would do the same:
1. Location and Time. I feel like our wedding was perfect.
2. Our photographers. They were the best vendor decision of the wedding. [THANKS, GUYS!]
3. The oldest couples dance got some people on the floor dancing that didn’t dance the entire night.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden.Pixels on Paper photographs babies and kids, engagements and weddings, brides and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
If you’ve ever had a vision of a mountain location that is textbook beatific – this would absolutely be it. Leatherwood Mountain Resort. It’s a favorite spot of ours for several reasons.
Because we have many favorite venues for photo shoots and events we cover, part of showing some love for them is to share a few with you guys who are looking for spots or know someone who is. We’re happy to help. One would have to be Leatherwood Mountains Resort in Ferguson, NC. Misty’s great-grandfather’s family once owned all the land at Leatherwood and many family members were raised in the small log cabin on the site called, “The Hendrix Homeplace.” The rock chimney cabin stage now serves as a backdrop for various key portraits at wedding ceremonies. The personal connection and that feeling of time-bending continuity happens to us every time we shoot there.
For those couples who are planning or thinking of getting started, Abbie Hanchey is the wedding coordinator at Leatherwood and she and her team are indispensable when it comes to finding out what you really want, planning with you and then taking care of guests. Leatherwood also:
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden.Pixels on Paper photographs babies and kids, engagements and weddings, brides and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
The Polands have 4 kids, fourteen grandkids, 2 dogs, a donkey and 2 horses. LARGE. They are spread out all over the country so capturing these photos was a one day thing and everyone in the family, pets and all, were there.We met James and Judy one night while dining outside at The New Public House in Blowing Rock and liked them immediately. We spent hours on the porch that evening sharing stories, drinking wine and enjoying each other’s company. They told us about their large family made up of their kids and grandkids and their farm just outside of Boone. The various members of the clan rarely see each other. One son is in the military and often deployed. Another son lives in Florida. The family is made up of several blended families and the only time in years that they would all be together in the same place and at the same time was a single day in between the holidays. Judy really wanted a family portrait. Who could blame her? One woman, her husband and in a mere few decades…… a cast of thousands!
In only a couple of weeks, Judy called us and gave us the ONE DAY and we were off. We love this shot of Judy and James surrounded by their fourteen grand “babies.” We found a perfect spot on their farm and all of the colorful clothes the kids wore made it work. 9 girls and 5 boys…… LORDY!! And they were so cute and funny with loads of energy.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden.
Pixels on Paper photographs babies and kids, engagements and weddings, brides and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
For those of you who don’t live and breathe wedding photography, WeddingWire is the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace and it named Pixels On Paper as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® for photography.
“The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The esteemed awards are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their professional achievements from the previous year.”
We are humbled and excited by this, you guys. And we are incredibly proud.
We’re proud of our first successful (and thrilling and experiential, experimental, exhausting, gratifying and zany) decade in the business.
We’re proud of the partnerships and relationships that are the result of our business.
We’re proud that, while working as a team and as a married couple has its challenges, we have grown as people, as a husband and wife and as artists and photographers.
We’re proud that this is our 7th consecutive year winning this award, thanks to you guys!
Finally, we are incredibly proud of our work. Being recognized for being one of the best at what you do is a shot in the arm to say the least, and a fantastic way to start 2016. So, thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Award winners in our industry are often selected by the host organization, but the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Pixels On Paper. This means a lot to us! WeddingWire’s award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients.
Additionally, Pixels will be highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of more than 200,000 wedding professionals all over North America and abroad and includes leading wedding sites beyond WeddingWire, such as Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee.
We wanted to share a few of the reviews that helped us win and help tell our story. It goes without saying that we love and appreciate our clients so sincerely, but hearing them describe us in these reviews shows that the feelings are mutual. Not only is it very, very cool, but it’s professionally satisfying. The reviews mean even more than the award. If you are a client of ours and would like to add a review to WeddingWire for us, we welcome it and would love it!
“Pixels On Paper Photography is more than just a couple who takes pictures (amazing pictures!) Misty and Ryan got to know me and my husband so that they were able to capture the special moments between us on our special day. Anyone can take pictures and yes some have “special eye” but the amount of talent and special techniques they have as a team are unbelievable. Taking the time to get to know your clients before the event and even stay in touch after makes the biggest difference. We have found our family photographers for life!! I would highly recommend them to anyone for any event.”
“We used them for both our engagement shots and wedding. We were 100% confident that the pictures would turn out amazing and did not have to worry about a thing.”
“It was important for us to have photographers that we got along with because we knew that they’d be with us for the entire wedding day! Misty and Ryan were so much fun to work with and be around. They were also very prompt in delivering our proofs! Our photos were posted online 12 days after our wedding! We came back from our honeymoon and were able to enjoy our photos– it renewed all the warm feelings that we’d had on our wedding day. Thanks to Pixels On Paper for capturing our special day!”
“My daughter was running late getting to the remote mountain venue from having her hair done in the nearby town. Misty and Ryan were purely professional and seemed to not have a care in the world. They gave my daughter time to get her make-up done and began taking her preparation photos. They know exactly what moments to capture and they do it well. Misty noticed during the ceremony that my daughter’s veil was on backwards and positioned most photos in a way that it wasn’t so noticeable. She immediately corrected it before taking the after ceremony shots. I felt more like my best friends were taking the photos that day. This incredible husband and wife team made everyone feel at ease. We were all able to relax and enjoy the moments. I am a memory fanatic and take tons of pictures at any event that I attend. I must say, I started the ceremony with a camera in hand but quickly realized this was something I didn’t need to do. I really could count on Misty and Ryan to capture every single moment as well as all the small details. Amazing team even more amazing photos!”
“Ryan and Misty Case are AMAZING. We purchased a photography package that included engagement photos, bridal portraits and wedding day photos for a great price. We shot our engagement portraits along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the bridal and wedding portraits in Charlotte, NC – the flexibility that they have to travel where we wanted was great and very easy to coordinate. Both photographers were professional, creative and absolutely incredible to work with. Immediately we felt like we’d known each other for years. On the day of our wedding, Ryan and Misty were completely organized, kept us on schedule, made us laugh and captured so many beautiful shots throughout the day that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Pixels on Paper rocks!!!!”
“These photographers are true artists and can really do some creative things when you let them do whatever they want! I wanted non-traditional and just let them have at it. Best decision of my life (well, second best–after accepting my husband’s marriage proposal!)”
“I love that [Misty & Ryan] work so well together. It’s like they read each others minds.”
[Quick aside: honestly, we do read each others minds on photo shoots… for the most part. Other times – we’re like everyone else who’s married. You think you’re communicating seamlessly one minute and the next you’re saying, “wait – WHAT?!!“]
“As MOB [mother of the bride], my job was to show up in a field, carry cold water and a dress train through a field. Little did I know, I was about to meet two exceptionally talented and excited people who wanted our daughter’s bridal photos to be even more spectacular than she imagined. Misty & Ryan’s enthusiasm and vision have provided our families with moments we all will treasure … They not only took superb photos, but also blended into the fabric of the day, making being comfortable in front of their cameras as natural as can be. The hardest part is choosing which photos to keep! I would highly recommend their elegant style and innovative ideas to anyone.”
Believe it or not, it’s the start of the season and we’re looking forward to the proposal, engagement, bridal and wedding sessions we’ll have in 2016 and 2017. We’re booking now, so call (336.990.0080) or email us and let’s get started.
For more information about Pixels, please check us out at the WeddingWire Storefront and if you want to learn more about the Couple’s Choice Awards®, please do!
About WeddingWire
WeddingWire, the leading technology company serving the $100 billion wedding and events industry, is the largest online vertical marketplace connecting engaged couples with event professionals. With more than two million consumer reviews, it is the industry leader in consumer reviews. The site enables engaged couples to search, compare and book from an extensive database of more than 200,000 recently reviewed event professionals, from venues to photographers. WeddingWire provides event professionals with the technology they need to serve their clients, including a SaaS platform, which powers advertising, marketing, and CRM needs of local wedding and events businesses nationwide.
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.*
*Robert Burns is perhaps Scotland’s most famous poet. He loved, and believed in, luve. And that poem is particularly sweet because it’s about waiting for the one you luve, no matter how long it takes. More on that later. First – you should meet our red rose, bride Rebekah Bolick (nee McDonald). She was radiant and one of the most serene brides we’ve photographed in a long time… porcelain skin, raven hair, rose-red lips and a gorgeous dress. In other words, worthy of poetry.
Both Rebekah and her groom, Josh wanted to incorporate as many personal details into their wedding and reception as possible. There was nothing but live music for the entire day, starting with a bagpiper who provided the processional. The bride’s father wore a kilt and a celtic band played the reception. Josh’s deceased brother was honored and remembered with photos and music provided by his best friend, the decorations were handmade by family members, the flower arrangements were made and coordinated by the bride’s mother, the cake was created by her aunt, and her amazing headpiece was made by one of her best friends. There was no wedding planner and they clearly didn’t need one since they had a vision they were all thrilled to execute together. It was simply perfect – every element!
And fare thee weel, my only luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.
So a little note on that last stanza of the poem (above). Rebekah and Josh actually met (and even “dated” for 2 weeks) in the 6th grade when they were only 11. So it wasn’t “10 thousand mile” but it was 8 years or so, when they reconnected while both were attending Appalachian State University. Rebekah was nursing a broken foot and basically laid up for the summer. Josh heard she was immobile, remembered that they lived only a few miles apart and went to visit her and keep her company one afternoon.
Rebekah: “I had no idea at the time that such a pleasantly unexpected visit would bring about the deepest love and friendship I ever could have dreamed for. We proceeded to spend almost every day of that summer together. I couldn’t do much because of my injury, but he made doing the most simple things so enjoyable. We share a mutual love for baking and while we waited for cookies, scones and cakes to rise we built jigsaw puzzles at the kitchen table and talked about any and everything.”
While the wedding day was less sunny than that summer memory, the weather did not beat us.
It didn’t just rain the entire day of their wedding, it poured. We might as well have been IN the highlands of Scotland. After assuring Rebekah and Josh that we would use the rain to our advantage and make the most of this once in a lifetime moment, we captured some of our absolute most favorite images in the rain. With umbrellas in tow, they were cheerful and beautifully romantic while trusting our direction for the only outdoor photos that we would capture that day.
Their reception was lively and fun and filled with all of those thoughtful and beautiful details and care provided by family and friends.
Rebekah: “The best thing about our wedding day was how stress free we were. We were just so happy to be getting married and to have all of our dearest people with us to celebrate. We had so much carefree joy that day. Wedding nerves were a non-issue. I just remember my face hurting at times because I could not stop smiling and laughing.”
One takeaway as a photography team from this rainy day adventure is that if we cast away our own fears and doubts, our worry about equipment getting wet, dresses getting dirty, hair falling, etc. then our clients will also have no fear or doubt in our capabilities and the amazing images will be worth whatever adversity they face. A second takeaway is that no matter the place, the day, the weather, the couple or the circumstances, we love, luve, LOVE what we do!